Spider-Man has been a staple of Marvel Comics for the last sixty-three years, becoming the face of the company and one of the most popular superheroes of all time. Since his debut, the web-slinging superhero has starred in thousands of comic book issues, including more than a dozen self-titled series like The Amazing Spider-Man, Spectacular Spider-Man, and Web of Spider-Man.
While a hero as important as Spider-Man often draws in the greatest comic book creators, his six-decade history is still full of editorial, writing, and storytelling mistakes that nearly derailed the character’s entire arc. From top-down editorial decisions that rewrote Peter Parker’s history to troubling retcons that ruin other iconic characters, these are the worst things to ever happen to Spider-Man comics.
The Clone Saga Clogged Much of Spider-Man’s ’90s Stories
The Scarlet Spider (Andy Samberg) swings into the fray in Spider-Man: Across the Spider-VerseImage via Sony Pictures/Everett Collection
When it comes to storylines that suffered from poor planning and a lack of direction, the infamous Clone Saga is the very top of the list. Spanning most of Spider-Man’s ’90s comic books, the Clone Saga is less a storyline than an era. During this period, writers introduced countless clones of Peter Parker created by Dr. Miles Warren/the Jackal, including Ben Reilly. Around this time, Peter begins to have an identity crisis, wondering if he might be the clone after all, and Ben the original.
There are interesting concepts in the Clone Saga, but the storyline stretches on for far too long and becomes incredibly convoluted. Readers are expected to keep track of countless clones of Peter Parker, including Ben Reilly, Kaine, and Spidercide, all while trying to piece together the complex timeline of the Jackal’s decades-spanning plan. By the time things finally wrap up, the Clone Saga completely loses its audience. In the decades since, Spider-Man has frequently made meta-jokes about his hatred of clones, coming as close as Marvel ever will to admitting that the Clone Saga was a mistake.
Marvel Resurrects Aunt May Instead of Peter and MJ’s Daughter
One of the more distressed editorial decisions traded one May for another. Marvel seemingly killed off Peter Parker and MJ’s infant daughter, May, shortly after her birth. However, the following issues hinted that the baby girl may be alive and held captive by Norman Osborn. When one of Norman’s subordinates betrays him, he has her killed, but not before she reaches Peter to tell him “May is alive.” Believing that the woman was talking about his daughter, Peter rushes to save May, only to shockingly discover that it is Aunt May whom Norman is holding hostage.
Not only does this storyline erase Aunt May’s beautiful death scene in The Amazing Spider-Man #400, but it also must jump through hoops to justify its stupid ending. Writer Tom DeFalco has since confirmed that his original intention was for Peter and MJ’s daughter to be rescued at the end of this storyline, but that Marvel editorial felt that Spider-Man having a child would be too much of a change from the character’s status quo. This was the first in a long line of editorial decisions to keep Peter’s life stagnant, eventually leading to the infamous “One More Day” storyline.
Marvel Misfires With Peter Parker’s Parents
In a rare misstep for Stan Lee and Steve Ditko’s partnership, the truth about Peter Parker’s parents is finally revealed in The Amazing Spider-Man Annual #5. The special issue reveals that Richard and Mary Parker were secretly S.H.I.E.L.D. agents who were killed while investigating the Red Skull. Naturally, this revelation shakes Peter to his core as he discovers that his parents were hardly the mild-mannered pair he had thought they were.
One of the greatest things about the original concept for Spider-Man is that he is the “everyman.” No matter who picks up a Spider-Man comic, they can pretend as though they are the ones under the mask because, at the end of the day, he is just a regular guy like anyone else. Making Peter’s parents S.H.I.E.L.D. agents threatened his status as an “everyman” by giving him a larger-than-life backstory that doesn’t fit with his regular characterization. This is a mistake that Sony’s The Amazing Spider-Man movies exacerbated by revealing that Peter Parker’s blood is specially suited to the radioactive spider bite, thanks to his father’s experiments, thereby making his origin less a random act and more a working of fate.
Marvel Tries to Retcon Spider-Man’s Origin Story
Anyone remotely familiar with comics knows that canon can often be fluid. Different writers often try to retcon events of the past to better fit their narrative, even if it doesn’t sit right with fans. This was the case in the late nineties, as The Amazing Spider-Man launched with a new volume that attempted to retcon the character’s origin story to connect him to one of his deadliest villains, Doctor Octopus. In a storyline titled “Chapter One,” it is suggested that the radioactive spider that bit Peter Parker was, in fact, part of an experiment conducted by Otto Octavius. The lab accident that turns Peter into Spider-Man was then also retroactively connected to Octavius’s origin as Doctor Octopus.
There isn’t anything inherently wrong with trying to connect Spider-Man’s origin story with Doctor Octopus. However, the way that Marvel went about doing this rubbed many readers the wrong way. This storyline attempted to retcon one of the most iconic comic book stories of all time, Amazing Fantasy #15, not by clever workarounds but simply by stating that “these events are true now.” This set a dangerous precedent that suggests any writer can change crucial parts of Spider-Man’s history if they so please. Thankfully, this retcon was eventually forgotten, and Spider-Man’s original origin story remains the same as Stan Lee originally envisioned it.
Norman Osborn Had an Affair With Gwen Stacy
Marvels #4 Cover showing Green Goblin holding Gwen StacyImage via Marvel Comics
In the “Sins Past” storyline, it is revealed that the villainous Green Goblin had an affair with Gwen Stacy while she was in a relationship with Peter Parker. As if this revelation wasn’t shocking enough, it is also revealed that Gwen became pregnant with Norman’s twin children, Gabriel and Sarah. These twins age at an accelerated rate and, upon reaching adulthood, confront Peter Parker with the truth about their parentage.
Readers were understandably aghast at the implication that Gwen Stacy would ever have an affair with Norman Osborn. This wild mischaracterization of the character didn’t sit right with fans, changing the way they reread old stories featuring Gwen. Thankfully, this revelation was retconned out of existence as a result of “One More Day” (the only good thing that came of the 2007 storyline).
Peter Parker Becomes a Tech Mogul
One of the most controversial parts of Dan Slott’s Spider-Man Saga takes place in The Amazing Spider-Man’s 2015 relaunch, wherein Peter Parker becomes the billionaire CEO of his own company, Parker Industries. This era features Spider-Man as a hero with unlimited resources, pitting him against more powerful villains and crime syndicates. Eventually, he loses the company, and Peter returns to his regular street-level adventures.
As with many of Dan Slott’s more controversial storylines, there are some interesting ideas behind this creative decision, but they ultimately don’t fit well with the character of Spider-Man himself. This era, sometimes known as “Worldwide,” practically turned Spider-Man into Iron Man, complete with high-tech gadgets, an advanced superhero suit, and fellow Avengers working at his side in almost every issue. While “Worldwide” is in some ways a refreshing break from the typical status quo of Spider-Man comics, its ramifications hurt the story more than anything.
The Kindred Saga Avoids Its Best Ending
Nick Spencer helped get The Amazing Spider-Man get back on track with an excellent run in the late 2010s and early 2020s. His time writing the series is most closely associated with the Kindred Saga, which saw Spider-Man contend with a demonic entity known as Kindred, who was dead-set on ruining his life. The Kindred Saga builds to a crescendo throughout Spencer’s run, dropping hints about who the villain really is under his mask. Unfortunately, the saga’s ending misses a perfect opportunity.
At first, Kindred is revealed as someone who knows the truth about Peter Parker’s greatest sin–which is hinted to be his deal with the demon Mephisto during “One More Day,” which erased his marriage to Mary Jane Watson. Over time, the comic suggests that Harry Osborn is Kindred and that this may be the version of Harry from before “One More Day” who has crawled his way out of hell to torment Peter for his decision. The proper ending would have been to confirm the pre-OMD Harry as Kindred and to then undo the controversial storyline. Instead, the Kindred Saga concludes with a less interesting reveal that doesn’t change much about Spider-Man’s status quo, marking one of the biggest missed opportunities in Marvel’s history.
Aunt May Is Revealed to Be Peter Parker’s Biological Mother
Aunt May and Peter Parker have always had a mother-son relationship, but the spinoff comic series Trouble attempted to solidify that dynamic in a truly disgusting way. The series focused on a young May, who is revealed to have had an affair with Richard Parker. Trouble confirms that May is actually Peter’s biological mother and that she and Richard chose to hide their affair from their respective spouses.
Unsurprisingly, Trouble was not received well by fans. The series completely turned Peter and May’s relationship on its head, ruining it in the grossest way possible. This retcon also completely changes the way that readers look at Aunt May in all the worst ways. Thankfully, this storyline proved controversial enough that it was eventually retconned to take place in another universe, thus saving May and Peter’s relationship in the main timeline.
Marvel Keeps Insisting That Ben Reilly Is a Villain
Although the Clone Saga is a highly unpopular era of Spider-Man’s history, readers eventually fell in love with Peter Parker’s clone, Ben Reilly. As the Scarlet Spider, Ben became a popular hero until his death at the end of the Clone Saga. In the years since his death, Ben Reilly has returned as a major player in the comics. Unfortunately, writers insist upon making the character a villain. “The Clone Conspiracy” made Ben Reilly a villain when he took up the mantle of the Jackal, though he still had some altruistic motives. Later stories took this even further when Ben became the supervillain Chasm and led a demonic attack on New York City.
Fans universally despise the decision to transform Ben Reilly into a villain. This characterization clashes with Ben’s strong sense of power and responsibility, which he shares with Peter Parker. This problem only gets more frustrating over time, as it seems that Ben grows more and more evil with each new appearance in The Amazing Spider-Man.
Spider-Man Editorial Erased Peter and MJ’s Marriage
The cover of Spider-Man One More DayImage via Marvel Comics
There is no storyline more justifiably hated than “One More Day.” The 2007 narrative depicts Spider-Man making the worst decision of his life when he turns to the devil Mephisto to save his Aunt May’s life. In exchange for saving May and restoring Spider-Man’s secret identity, Mephisto erases Peter Parker and Mary Jane Watson’s marriage from the timeline. This results in a universal reset for Spider-Man, leading into “Brand New Day.”
Erasing Peter and MJ’s marriage was a thinly veiled editorial decision that stemmed from a desire to get Spider-Man back to his basics as a broke bachelor in Manhattan. The storyline is objectively the most despised in the history of The Amazing Spider-Man, not only because of its egregious timeline-breaking retcons, but also because of its wild mischaracterization of Peter Parker. Spider-Man’s strong sense of responsibility would never lead him to make a deal with the devil, especially at such a high cost. “One More Day” is the single worst thing to ever happen to Spider-Man comic books, erasing years of history and dooming the web-sling superhero to a life of stagnation.